On February 21, Vizag will host a Presidential Fleet Review
The Presidential Fleet Review (PRF), which will take place in Visakhapatnam on February 21, will feature over 50 floating assets, including a pair of submarines, as well as close to 50 aircraft.
The city will be visited by President Ram Nath Kovind, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces. From 9.30 a.m. until noon on February 21, he will review the fleet at the anchorage.
Though the Presidential Yacht has not yet been named, it is understood that one of the Saryu Class Naval Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessels, such as Sunayna, Sumedha, or Sumitra, is being rebuilt to host the President.
A convoy of three Saryu Class ships will steam through the columns, which will be surrounded by at least 48 ships from all naval commands, including the Eastern, Western, Southern, and Andaman.
A few ships from the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), the Shipping Corporation of India (SCI), and the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) will also be present.
At the anchorage spot, which is around 8 km to 10 km from the coast, the ships will be lined up in about four columns. Although not all of the ships will be visible, the first line of ships from the coast will, according to a naval officer.
The presidential convoy of three ships, which includes the Presidential Yatch, a ship transporting media personnel, and a standby Presidential Yatch, will pass between the columns, with sailors and officials from each ship saluting the President and raising the phrase “Rashtrapati ki Jai.”
The ships will be ceremonially dressed, and the practise is known as ‘Dressing Overall.’ All ships will have flags tied from the bow to the stern of the masts, as is customary. The men will be dressed in formal clothing, and the ritual that follows as the President’s Yacht passes by is known as ‘Man and Cheer Ship.’
Despite the fact that the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) has yet to disclose a list of participating ships, it has been learned that all lead ships in their class from all commands will be present at the harbour.
Among them could be the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and the stealth guided-missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam of the Visakhapatnam-Class.
A flypast of roughly 50 planes will take place in addition to the steam-past. The flypast will feature every aircraft operated by the Indian Navy’s aviation wing, including new acquisitions such as the Mikoyan MiG-29K, Boeing P-8I Neptune, and HAL Dhruv MKIII.
Following the flyover, the Marine Commandos (Marcos) will perform an anti-terrorist demonstration, a search-and-rescue practise, and a submarine steam-past.
The President will address the nation after the exercise, bringing the review to a close.
To commemorate the event, the President will unveil a special cover and a postal stamp at the Naval Base.
The City of Destiny, #Visakhapatnam is gearing up for the President’s Fleet Review scheduled on 21 Feb 22 when the Hon’ble #PresidentOfIndia reviews over 60 ships from the @indiannavy, @IndiaCoastGuard & Indian Merchant marine, followed by a flypast by nearly 50 naval aircraft pic.twitter.com/GijBYf7UgC
— Defence PRO Visakhapatnam (@PRO_Vizag) February 16, 2022
